NEW DELHI: The Indian men’s and women’s teams began their campaigns at the 45th Chess Olympiad with decisive victories. The Indian men’s team secured a 4-0 win against Morocco, while the women’s team achieved a 3.5-0.5 victory over Jamaica.
In the men’s event, D Gukesh did not play in the opening round. R Praggnanandhaa led the team and defeated Morocco’s Tissir Mohamed in a Sicilian Defense game. Praggnanandhaa delivered India’s first win. Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, and P Harikrishna also won their games, ensuring a perfect score for the team.
For the women’s team, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, and Tania Sachdev each won their matches against their Jamaican opponents. Vantika Agrawal drew her game with Raehanna Brown, which gave India half a point less than a full score.
Praggnanandhaa’s win was clear as he took advantage of Mohamed’s mistakes. Gujrathi played strongly, gaining an early lead and winning after capturing a pawn. Erigaisi faced a tougher opponent but won with a piece sacrifice that broke his rival’s defense, ending the match with a dominant rook.
Both teams have shown a strong start and set a positive tone for the upcoming rounds at the Chess Olympiad.
